Antique 12 Air, 5 Bells, Rosewood Musical Box c.1880

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Antique 12 Air, 5 Bells, Rosewood Musical Box c.1880

About the Item

This is a fabulous 19th Century Swiss 12 air musical box, the hinged marquetry lid opening to reveal a 13 inch cylinder with central drum, 5 bells in sight, a snare drum and a castagnette and the original pictorial tune card to the lid. Circa 188o in date the movement is stamped 22255. The burr walnut and rosewood case is decorated with a marquetry of musical instruments,shells and flowers, and is further crossbanded in satinwood. The snare drum and the castagenette can be turned off when not required. The original pictorial music sheet is attached to the inside of the lid and lists the following tunes: 1. The Mikado No 15 Chorus 2. Morgenblätter Waltz 279 3. Pirates of Penzance Mabel 4. Le jour et la nuit Mazurka 5. British Grenadiers March 6. Patience finale 1 Act 7. Secret Love 8. The Mascoth. Chanson du bambou 9. Faust choeur de nos aïeux 10. Gasparone Polka 92 11. Stradella Trinklied 12. Wedding March Condition: It has been beautifully restored and is in perfect working order. Dimensions in cm: Height 27 x Width 63 x Depth 33 Width 33 - cylinder Dimensions in inches: Height 11 inches x Width 2 feet, 1 inch x Depth 1 foot, 1 inch Width 1 foot, 1 inch - cylinder Music box (also musical box) is a 19th/20th century automatic musical instrument that produces sounds by the use of a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc so as to pluck the tuned teeth (or lamellae) of a steel comb. They were developed from musical snuff boxes of the 18th century and called carillons à musique. Some of the more complex boxes also have a tiny drum and/or small bells, in addition to the metal comb. For most of the 19th century, the bulk of music box production was concentrated in Switzerland, building upon a strong watchmaking tradition. The first music box factory was opened there in 1815 by Jérémie Recordon and Samuel Junod. There were also a few manufacturers in Bohemia and Germany. By the end of the 19th century, some of the European makers had opened factories in the United States. The cylinders were normally made of metal and powered by a spring. In some of the costlier models, the cylinders could be removed to change melodies, thanks to an invention by Paillard in 1862, which was perfected by Metert of Geneva in 1879.[citation needed] In some exceptional models, there were four springs, to provide continuous play for up to three hours. Burr Walnut refers to the swirling figure present in nearly all walnut when cut and polished, and especially in the wood taken from the base of the tree where it joins the roots. However the true burr is a rare growth on the tree where hundreds of tiny branches have started to grow. Burr walnut produces some of the most complex and beautiful figuring you can find. Marquetry is decorative artistry where pieces of material (such as wood, mother of pearl, pewter, brass silver or shell) of different colours are inserted into surface wood veneer to form intricate patterns such as scrolls or flowers. The technique of veneered marquetry had its inspiration in 16th century Florence. Marquetry elaborated upon Florentine techniques of inlaying solid marble slabs with designs formed of fitted marbles, jaspers and semi-precious stones. This work, called opere di commessi, has medieval parallels in Central Italian "Cosmati"-work of inlaid marble floors, altars and columns. The technique is known in English as pietra dura, for the "hardstones" used: onyx, jasper, cornelian, lapis lazuli and colored marbles. In Florence, the Chapel of the Medici at San Lorenzo is completely covered in a colored marble facing using this demanding jig-sawn technique. Techniques of wood marquetry were developed in Antwerp and other Flemish centers of luxury cabinet-making during the early 16th century. The craft was imported full-blown to France after the mid-seventeenth century, to create furniture of unprecedented luxury being made at the royal manufactory of the Gobelins, charged with providing furnishings to decorate Versailles and the other royal residences of Louis XIV. Early masters of French marquetry were the Fleming Pierre Golle and his son-in-law, André-Charles Boulle, who founded a dynasty of royal and Parisian cabinet-makers (ébénistes) and gave his name to a technique of marquetry employing brass with pewter in arabesque or intricately foliate designs. Our reference: 06054

Place of Origin:
United Kingdom
Period:
Late 19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
c.1880
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU95061638262